Early Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Grade 4 Blunt Renal Trauma in Two Institutions

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of early transcatheter arterial embolization for hemodynamically stable patients with The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade 4 blunt renal trauma.

Materials and methods: The medical records of consecutive patients with grade 4 blunt renal trauma who were transported to our two critical care centers in Japan and treated with early transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) between 2001 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Treatment failure was defined as the need for further surgical intervention or re-embolization after initial embolization. We divided these cases into two groups, a group who survived and a group who died, investigating the factors that led to death.

Results: Seventeen patients underwent early TAE, with an average time between presentation and embolization for renal trauma of 125 minutes (66-214 minutes). There was no case of treatment failure. Three of the patients died, but none solely because of renal injury. Significant factors associated with patient death were the number of concomitant injured organs (p=0.04), the presence of pelvic fractures (p<0.01), and the presence of visceral injuries (p<0.01). The presence of lumber fractures (p=0.09) also tended to be associated with patient death.

Conclusions: Early TAE is an effective treatment and should be actively performed for hemodynamically stable patients with grade 4 blunt renal injuries without multiple concomitant organ injuries.

Keywords: angioembolization; blunt renal trauma; interventional radiology; multiple trauma; treatment failure.